Effects of formulations on growth, yield and fruit quality of red dragon fruit (Selenicereus costaricensis) under sodic soil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24154/jhs.v21i1.5071Keywords:
Dragon fruit, farmyard manure, natural farming, panchagavya, sodic soil, vermicompostAbstract
Natural farming relies on local organic inputs and fermented bioformulations to offer a sustainable nutrient management strategy for constrained soils. The present study was carried out to assess the seven natural farming combinations to determine their influence on the flowering, yield, and quality of red dragon fruit grown in sodic soil, laid out in randomized block design with three replications, during 2023-24 and 2024-25. The treatments paired either farmyard manure or vermicompost with Panchagavya, Amritpani, or Jeevamrit alongside an untreated control. The vermicompost + Panchagavya combination emerged as the top performer, consistently producing the highest number of flowers per plant (46.77), yield per pole (6.47 kg), total soluble solids (14.68 °Brix), vitamin C (14.09 mg 100 g-1), and reducing sugars (9.75%). As the year × treatment interaction was non-significant, treatment trends remained stable over both seasons. These findings demonstrate that combining vermicompost with Panchagavya enhances red dragon fruit productivity and fruit quality in sodic soils, though multi-year research tracking soil physicochemical and biological shifts is required to uncover the underlying mechanisms.
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Copyright (c) 2026 P Kumar, J Singh, A Kumar, I Ali, V Singh, K Pandey, N K Maurya, Rishabh, D Mishra, A Tripathi, B Pratap, V Yadav, A K Pandey (Author)
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